Automatic cash-box system



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1.

J.- G. MARTIN.

AUTOMATIC CASH BOX SYSTEM.

No. 276,441. Patented Apr. 24, 1883.

N. PEI'ERS. Moljthcgnpiwr. Washington. n c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

.J-rO. MARTIN.

AUTOMATIC UASH BOX sYs rBM;

Patented Apr. 24,1883.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH O. MARTIN, OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT.

AUTOMATIC CASH-BOX SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 276,441, dated April24, 1883. Application filed May 22, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JOSEPH O. MARTIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Burlington, in the county of Ohit-tenden and State ofVermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Cash-BoxSystems, of which'the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of thetracks, terminal and way stations, and the cash-boxes of automaticcash-box systems, the object being to provide improved cash-boxes andstations, together with portions of the track adjoining the same,whereby the sending and receiving of said boxes, both at the terminaland at the way stations, is facilitated and made more convenient, andwhereby the. stopping of abox at the particular station for which it isdestined is made certain.

In the drawings forming part of this speci' fioation, Figure I is a sideelevation of the terminalor cashiers station, partly in section,embodying my improvements. Fig.- 11 is a plan view of Fig. I, alsopartly in section. Fig.

III is a transverse section on the line as .r, Fig.

I. Fig. IV is a section ot'Fig. I. Fig. V is a perspective view of thecash-box constructed according to my invention. Fig. VI is a plan view,partly in section, of a way-station embodying my improvements. Fig. VIIisa transverse section on line a" m, Fig. VI. Fig. VIII illustrates asection of the tracks be tween the stations. Fig. IX is a plan view of acorner of the track and one of the guidewheels for the cord. Fig. X is atransverse section of one of said wheels. Fig. XI is-a view of detailparts.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement upon my patent ofMarch 28, 1882. Inthe cash-box system herein described I em.

' ploy, as in that described, in said patent, an

endless moving cord, and cash-boxes adapted to be drawn, upon suitabletracks to and from difierent parts of a store or other room; but theimprovements herein set forth provide for contiguous tracks, upon one ofwhich the box is sent to the cashiers desk, andupon the other one thebox is returned to the sender;

and, furthermore, provision is made, through the interoperativenessofthe cash-boxes and tracks, for stopping each one of a series of boxes atits predestined station, said track being provided with a series ofstations along its border, and with means for causing the proper box tobe there disconnected from the said cord.

The tracks 0 e are located one above the other, and their arrangementprovides for moving the cash-boxes in one direction upon the upper oneand in the opposite direction on the lower one, one cord serving forboth tracks,- and the latter are located in such proximity to each otheras to provide means for the interposition between or upon each or bothof them of suitable devices to co-operate with the cash-boxes and saidcord to insure the proper operation of said boxes between the sender andthe cashier. Said tracks consist of wooden or other suitable strips,each having a raised rib or border, 25,011 one edge, as in Fig. VIII,and they are set at an incline later ally, so that the boxes may slidealong against said rib, and at the waystations be caused to slidesidewise off from the track proper upon a station-table, B, at whichpoint said rib is discontinued. I

. In Figs. VII and VIII are shown the relative positions oi the twotracks 0 and e, and in the former particularly is shown the position ofthecash-box D between said tracks, and wherein is illustrated theposition of the cordclamping devices of said box and. the cord fimmediately after the disengagement of said box therefrom at away-station.

The cash box D is provided with a cover, 2, hinged to one side thereof,and a spring, 3, holds said cover in a closed position; A cordclamp, 4,having an arm on two sides of said box, which arms are united by across-bar having an arm, 5, thereon, is pivoted to said box, as shown,and the ends of said arms are bent upward, soinewhatin the form of ahook, and shut against a projection across the end ot'the box oppositeto that at which is said arm 5. Said cord-clamp is held or made to soswing on its pivots as to force arm 5 downward and its .said hook-shapedends upward against said projection by a spring, as shown, which sooperatessaid clamp.

A post, 6, is fixed upon certain of said cashboxes, as and for thepurpose hereinafter set forth.

The cord f, propelled by a suitable motor, runs along the rear edges ofthe tracks a and e over pulley 0 and at a corner in said tracks, as inFig. IX, larger pulleys e are located, and properly grooved to allow theprojecting clamping devices on box D to easily move by them.

The construction of the terminal or cashiers station is illustrated inFigs. I to IV, inclusive. 'At this station said tracks terminate, 0being the one upon which said boxes are received and brought to a stopupon a receiving-shelf, ci' At the end of track a at this stationprovision is made for disengaging the cash-boxes from cordf, as follows:

Side and top guide-supports, m and h, consisting of a short verticalside piece, m, standing up at one side of the tracks, and asomewhat'longer horizontal piece, h, having a hanging border on one edgeand attached to the upper edge of m, (see Fig. XL) and extending overthe upper track, are attached to said tracks. and are provided withsuitable guides, i and '5 to direct the box, upon its arrival at thisstation, into a certain line of movement. A hanging border. h isattached to one edge of the cover part h, as shown. The guide 41 securedby one edge to the under side of the cover part h, projects downwardtoward the track 0, so that when the cash-box is moving past said guidethe latter will be hit by the box, thereby crowding the latter towardthe side m and the clamp-lifters a, thereon. The guide t' is alsolocated on the under side of said cover part h, and is adapted to strikethe top of the cash-box when the latter comes opposite saidclamp-lifters a, and prevent said box from being lifted on" from track0, when arm 5 on said box strikes one of said lifters. A third guide, issecured to the under side of the part h, opposite to guide 43buta-little farther along, and is so arranged that box D strikes theside of it, and thereby is crowded over against or toward the side m,and is thus forced to move near said side. The arm 5 on the cord-clamp 4is set at a certain height on boxes intended to be stopped at aparticular station, and at a different height for other stationsthat isto say, above the bottom of said boxes.

A series of clamp-lifters, a'tta, preferabl y of sheet metal, is fixedto the side m, and they are inclined, as shown, and project therefrom,so as to allow the arm 5 on the cord-clamp of one of boxes D to ridethereon as said box is rapidly drawn under the part It, and whereby thesaid hook shaped ends of clamp 4 are caused to swing down and away fromsaid projeotion on box D, thus disengaging the box from cordf. Guidet'prevents box D from being lifted at this point, otherwise saidcordclamp mightfail to operate as above described, and the guide i whoseline of curve is shown in Fig. II, forces the box over toward thelifters a.

The box 'D,when it is to be returned to the sender thereof at a'distancefrom station A, is placed on track 0, being pushed laterally against thestop 9, Fig. I, grooves 8 8 permitting the ends of clamp 4to approachthe cord f in proper position to seize the latter, and track 0 isproperly cut away over said grooved part of track a, as shown in Fig.II, to permit the operator to hold box D and retain clamp 4 in an openposition until the latter can properly receive cord f.

At the end of the way-station table B next to the approaching cash-boxis fixed a vertical clamp-lifter, I), located on or in a line with therib on the border of track e, and the height of said lifter is adaptedto that one of the box or boxes which is to be stopped at its station,and is such as will cause arm 5 on clamp 4 to strike it, and, openingsaid clamp, disengage the box from cord f, substantially in the same wayas said disengagementis effected at the station A, as above described.Thus at the latter station are provided on the part m a number oflifters, a, to correspond innumb'er and height with the several liftersb at different stations along the track 0. Upon approach ing said tableB box D encounters the downhanging guide 71. pending from the under sideof track 0, (see Fig. VII,) and by said guide is crowded toward saidlifter 7) and properly held while clamp 4 is operated as above describedrelative to station A. Fig. VII illustrates the positions of theabove-named parts atthis stage of their action. Those of boxes D whichare destined for the first of the way-stations are not provided with thepost 6 on the top thereof, so that they may slide oil the track at saidstation; but those going beyond have said post to assist in controllingthe box, as hereinafter set forth.

The rib 25 on the lower edge of the bottom track, 0, is omitted at thepoint where the waystation table B is located, and to supply thisomission, and to furnish suitable guiding devices by said table forboxes destined for stations beyondit, a guide, 0, depends from the underside of the upper track, 0, Fig. VI, and reaches far enough toward anapproaching box having a post, 6, on itto let the latter strike its sideand prevent the box from swinging off toward said table as it passes byit. Said guide 0 extends only far enough by said table to guide the boxuntil it reaches the rib 25 on its own track.

Thus a box D not provided with the post 6 will, at table B, whendisengaged from cord f, slide under guide 0 and-laterally off from track0 onto said table and there stop, as shown in Fig. VI, while one of saidboxes having the post 6 thereon and provided with a clamp-arm, 5, higherthan the lifter b, will pass by said station, the guide 0 acting withsaid post to perform the function of the rib on the border of the trackand prevent said box from sliding laterally; but as soon as the latterhas passed said table and the guide 0 it again moves along in contactwith said rib until it reaches its proper station, 'opposite which thesaid guide is narrow enugh(or said post is of proper length) to permitthe post to .pass beneath said guide, and arm 5 and the lifter I at thisstation being adapted to operate together, as above described, said boxis left at this station, as in the case of the first one. Thus the boxeswith the posts 6 thereon, the lifters b, and the guides o are adapted toco-operate to cause the proper boxes to be dropped off at their properstations beyond the first one on the outgoing track 0.

To return a box to the cashier it is taken by the operator, who at thesame time lifts arm 5 to open the cord-clamp 4, and placed on the track0 at a point where the transverse grooves 8 8 are made, near to asupport, a, Fig. VI, and is pushed back against the stop a, and in thisposition cordf is admitted under said clamps, which, being now released,are by the spring 011 box D closed upon said cord, and immediately thebox moves rapidly along to the station A, where it is disengaged fromthe cord, as above set forth, and landed upon the shelf (1.

What 1 claim as my invention is- 1. In an automatic cash-box system, theoutgoing and incoming tracks 6 and a, separated one from the other toform a box -,passage therebetween, the endless cord f, adapted to movenear the edge of said tracks, and the cash-box D, having the pivotedcord-clamp4 thereon, combined and operating substantially as set forth.

2. The terminal station A, provided with one or more clamp -lif'ters, a,and with the guides 'i and 0, combined with the box D, having the cord-clamp 4 thereon, provided with the arm 5, and the cord f, substantiallyas set forth.

3. The tracks 0 and e, and the way-station table B, inclined laterally,the clamp-lifter b, the guide if, the box D, having the cord-clamp 4thereon, provided with arm 5, and the cordf, combined and operatingsubstantially as set forth.

4. The tracks 0 and e, and the way-station table B, laterally inclined,the clamp-lifter b, the guide h the guide 0, the box D, having thereonthe post 6, and the cord-clamp 4, provided with the arm 5, and thecord], combined and operating substantially as set forth.

5. The tracks 0 and 6, provided with a ter minal and with a waystation,substantially as described, and having clamp-lifters a and b at saidstations, of corresponding height, the box D, having the cord-clamp 4,provided with an arm, 5, of less height than said clamp-lifters,

and the cord f, combined and operating substantiallyas set forth.

JOSEPH G. MARTIN.

Witnesses:

R. F. HYDE, WM. H. GHAPIN.

